more adventures

We have been trying to help a YSA by painting his new flat for most of three days last week. Here we are hard at work. Oh wait. We went home and changed out clothes before we started working hard. Really!

We have decided that we would make a levi "throw" as a wedding present for the YSAs who are getting married. The plan is to have the YSAs help tie the quilt. They don't have quilting frames here, so Sister Olson learned, from the RS sisters, how to put a quilt together without using frames. We scrounged around and found several pairs of jeans (one pair was on the ground in some leaves, bushes, etc.), washed them, cut them up, sewed them together and now we need to finish it by tying it. We used yarn, fabric for the back, and sewing machine from the ward, so the project has been virtually free for us, except for the time involved.

The roses are in bloom in the park by our house and today it was quite warm. Some of these roses are literally 5-6 inches in diameter. They are huge!

update

It's about 20 miles to the sea from here, so we combined business with pleasure and visited Flamborough, which is a village next to Bridlington and walked along a sheep trail to edge of the North Sea. There were caves in the cliffs next to the Sea and on the little point, the grass was like a sponge and it felt as if you could sink. Maybe is was a bog??? ( Mt. Thompson, in the Sawtooth Mountain Range has the same kind of ground.) Anyway, the wind was blowing and it reminded me of some 19th century English movie where the woman is standing on a precipice next to the ocean and the wind is blowing her hair.

For the activity at institute this week, James Smith taught the YSAs how to street dance. There were at least a dozen who wanted to learn, but by the time he was finished there were only about 6-8 that could dance that fast. The rest were in the kitchen eating potatoe salad and baked beans.

Chas, at the Family HIstory Centre, took us to the docks to show us the statue that commemorates the passing through of many Europeans, including Mormons, to America. As we stood there and looked at the faces, we could see history as it must have been. The mother is taking care her little daughter doesn't fall, the little boy is playing with the newly discovered wild life (crab), and the father is looking towards America, contemplating the trials the family will face with his hand on his wife's back reassuring her that all will be well. It certainly brings tears to think of the sacrifices the early church members faced as they gathered to Zion.

The grass is going to seed.

We have beautiful flowers in our "back garden", lettuce, and a lot of nice grass that reaches to our knees. The landlord is supposed to keep the grass cut, etc., But as yet, nothing?????

This is Danny and Steph his partner. Danny is very excited to get baptized, but has a couple of issues to work through first.

The Olympic Torch came to Hull and stayed the night, so for FHE we walked to the park to welcome the torch and watch the festivities and then walked back to our flat for icecream. Here are some pics from the evening. We bought two helium balloons so the YSAs could find us. A little girl came up to us and asked where we got them; in the process of giving them to her they flew away.

more mission reports

This is what is UNDER the chapel. Probably someone is buried here. Doesn't it remind you of a movie somewhere?

We had some hot chocolate at Hutton le Hole and then started across the Yorkshire Moors.

This is Whitby at the Abbey Ruins. This is a story about a couple, born the same day, died the same day and had 12 children. Every village and city has a church with tons of history.

At last we are at Scarborough and fish and chips. One of the Bronte sisters is buried in this city, but we had no more battery left on the camera! Margaret Iverson served much of her mission here. It is right on the North Sea and I'll bet it really gets cold in the winter.

We have another young single adult baptism! Cynthia has been coming to FHE and was baptized on Saturday. Sister Olson was asked to play the piano for the meeting. Cynthia and her mother were baptized and we hope that Claire, a sister, will join the ranks.

Day out

The O'Neils gave us a "day out". They drove us over 100 miles all around in little villages and historical sights. It was a wonderful day. We visited New Malton and the Church of St. Michael's there (Charles Dickens lived here for a short time), then the church and village of Lastingham. We stopped and had hot chocolate at Hutton le Hole, and then drove to Whitby and saw the Abbey Ruins and the final resting place of a couple who were born and died on the same day. Then we went to Scarborough and had fish and chips after we saw the grave of one of the Bronte sisters. By the time we got to Scarborough our camera had run out of batteries, but here are lots of pictures!!

The O'Neils have another Mormon Message out called "Rescued by Christ". You can see it on You Tube. Check it out!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZP9qugKsSfU

Did I mention, it rained, no poured the entire day!

Transfer week and more.

It's Transfer Week and this is the Hull District from left to right: Elder Ball, Elder Humphries, Sister Graabek, Sister Melander, Sister Olson, Elder Olson, Elder Lee and Elder Rosen. We rock!

Brother Stuart Stocks is the ward mission leader in the Louth Branch, so we tease that we are cousins since Sister Olson's maiden name is Stocks.

We see familiar names while shopping and walking. When we see Warburton we think of our Warburtons in Mink Creek. This name is a familiar name of bread!

The other missionaries from left to right: Denmark, Arizona, Hawaii, Sweden.

The Idaho missionaries. We rock even more!!